


TDP season 1 thoughts

by artaline, tiredsunrises



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Analysis, Character Motivations, Gen, Meta, Parallelism, Speculation, Swearing, Symbolism, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 22:23:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17610143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artaline/pseuds/artaline, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiredsunrises/pseuds/tiredsunrises
Summary: Meta for season 1 initially postedon tumblr. Second chapter an archive of my discussion with tiredsunrises (potterwhos on tumblr)





	1. Chapter 1

First season of The Dragon Prince has an extremely well constructed narrative with lots of storytelling, visual, and even extra-medium clues rich in themes of duplicity and foreshadowing which allow for plenty of theorizing. In this essay I will discuss the imagery of what we’ve seen so far in the show, and speculate about the possible explainations and future developments.

**The Cast**

The show uses a duplicate set of main characters to explore many of its themes, resolve conflicts and drive the plot forward. The young protagonists - Callum, Ezran, Reyla, and Azymondias seek to stop the war initiated by their older counterparts: Viren, Harrow, Runaan, and Thunder. This dual cast is likely to grow with the introduction of more characters, but for now I will only focus on the scope of season 1. Each pair of characters fits their own archetype allowing for the conflict to develop two-fold.

  * **The Dragon.** Zym and Thunder are perhaps the most nebulous protagonists so far, but it’s their respective life and death which lie at the center of the conflict and give the show it’s title. Season 1 only gave us bits and pieces of them so far, but I’m sure the show will develop them beyond the stereotype of a MacGuffin / extremely OP magical creature.
  * **The Assassin.**  Reyla and Runaan share a sense of purpose and kinship, and encounter some very similar problems. On the surface they both end up hurt (by the assassin bond) and starving (loosing food supply / refusing food) during this season. Both of them end up admitting to having fears: water for Reyla and mysterious magic mirror for Runaan. But the key difference is that, Reyla’s failure to act becomes her victory - instead of seeking revenge she’s now seeking redemption and peace, while Runaan victory act becomes his failure - leading to further animosity between humans and elves and escalating the conflict.
  * **The Royal.**  Ezran and Harrow are the archetypical wise rulers, stubborn and temperamental, but ultimately good hearted. Both of them are the targets of assassination, the blood price for the death of the dragons (alleged in the case of Zym), and someone to be protected at all cost. Both of them are showed to find solace in the company of their pets. As we later learn Ezran has a special ability to communicate with animals, and feels like he doesn’t quite fit in with the humans, which is why, perhaps, having Bait at all times allows him to feel more grounded. Similarly, Harrow enjoys the company of Pip. The key contrast here is that Harrow believes himself (at least partially) responsible for the start of the war, death of the Thunder and destruction of the dragon egg for which he pays with his life, while Ezran is risking his life (diving into ice cold water) to save the egg and stop the war. (speculation warning) I believe that animal speech might be a hereditary/royal trait, which would mean [[Harrow should have this gift as well](https://artaline.tumblr.com/post/178892961953/calllay-artaline-artaline-%D1%80%D1%84%D0%BC%D1%83-%D1%8B%D1%89%D1%8C%D1%83-%D0%BC%D1%88%D0%BA%D1%83%D1%82%D1%8B)]. 
  * **The Mage.**  Callum and Viren’s identity is partially defined by their relationship with the Royal, as a friend and advisor, someone who will stand by the royal’s side through every challenge (and, perhaps, Viren’s comment about him thinking of Harrow as a brother is meant to further stress this similarity) , as well as their almost all consuming fascination with magic. Viren is assumed to have destroyed the egg, while Callum is actually the one who ends up destroying the egg - to save the dragon within. Both of them in this season face the possibility of self-sacrifice and the key difference is that Callum is instantly ready to trade his life for Ezrans, Viren hesitates which ultimately leads to the erosion of trust between him and Harrow. Now this parallel only works up to the episode 3 and then we are faced with the reality of Viren suddenly turning into a



(Description: a gif from a Starkid’s parody show Twisted where a parrot is calling Ja'far a “Piece of shit!”)

which leads me to the next part.

**The Duality**

Like I mentioned before, TDP has a strong theme of duality which is reflected in it’s main cast, but the one character who’s most affected by it is lord Viren -  simultaneously everybody’s favorite [[gay heartache](https://www.tumblr.com/search/virrow)], [[trash gremlin](https://artaline.tumblr.com/post/178946189173/c-rowlesdraws-acfan120-c-rowlesdraws-every)], and [[problematic trope](https://artaline.tumblr.com/post/178914653043/newtkins-gay-villains-are-a-dangerous-trope)]. His duality is reflected in many aspects of the story and largely breaks the season in two parts: episodes 1-3 where he is presented as a loyal friend and sometimes exasperated but good father, and episodes 4-9 where he keeps lying and manipulating everyone including his own children with the goal to become Lord Protector of the kingdom of Katolis and attack Xadia. This change of character is abrupt and concealed in the plot’s  **negative space** :

(Description: a classic example of the use of negative space where picture is either a vase or two human profiles) 

The one scene which holds the key to Viren’s change of heart and Harrow’s Schrödinger bird status is the one which is strategically hidden from us.

I see 3 possible explainations for Viren’s tranformation:

  1. **Viren was a villain all along** , and he was manipulating Harrow as well as us viewers for the first 3 episodes, but it doesn’t pass the scrutiny for any sort of rational behavior. He has plenty of far less suspicious opportunities to grab the power, including simply complying with Harrow’s wishes instead of fighting him. And yet we are witnessing an extremely messy and disorganized attempt at a coup d'état performed by otherwise methodical man.
  2. Harrow’s extreme emotional reaction coupled with Callum’s threats of punishment for concealment of the egg in episode 3 force Viren into  **an abrupt change of plans** , but again almost every single action performed by evil!Viren goes against the ideals established by the good!Viren in the first episodes, and narratively such decisions for an otherwise good person would come at the price (think the dark catharsis of ”No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” in Wicked)
  3. Whoever is now wearing Viren’s face is  **not Viren**  but some other malicious entity, for example the OG Dark Mage, who shares the same magic staff with Viren and of whom we haven’t otherwise heard anything since the prologue. This version would explain the change, but since the transformation occurs in the scope of plot’s negative space we are largely left to wonder how did it go down, where did the malicious entity come from, and how is it able to fake being Viren.



I personally believe that lots of clues in season one are pointing in the direction of the third explaination, but these are no formal arguments, but rather a story logic arguments, and so the conclusion is largely a speculation. As Callum put it in episode 8 ”Nah, maybe that’s something which works in stories, but in the real world…”

In the next section I will attempt to compile these clues into a comprehensive list.

**The Clues**

  * **The Symbolism.** Viren’s first appearance in the show is him standing in front of the  _magic mirror_  and trying to uncover it’s secrets. Mirror in fiction is a strong symbol of duality, but also weirdness and sometimes corruption (consider Snow White, vampire lore). The Viren’s decision to sacrifice himself for Harrow is strongly reflected in the double-headedness of the  _soulfang snake_. As @calllay beautifully put [[here] ](https://calllay.tumblr.com/post/178884910474/artaline-artaline-%D1%80%D1%84%D0%BC%D1%83-%D1%8B%D1%89%D1%8C%D1%83-%D0%BC%D1%88%D0%BA%D1%83%D1%82%D1%8B-the)its a crossroad, a decision, but also a double edged sword which can be directed against the wielder. And [[as I previously wrote](https://artaline.tumblr.com/post/178892961953/calllay-artaline-artaline-%D1%80%D1%84%D0%BC%D1%83-%D1%8B%D1%89%D1%8C%D1%83-%D0%BC%D1%88%D0%BA%D1%83%D1%82%D1%8B)], with the assumption that Harrow is able to understand animals much like Ezran, it could also have been a catalyst to the conflict between Viren and Harrow.
  * **The Lighting.**  Through the majority of the first 3 episodes Viren is strongly associated with the sunlight, from his first appearance at the dawn, to opening the curtains in Harrow’s bedroom, to arguing for the use of the soulfang serpent.



(Description: a screenshot of the scene in episode 1 shere Viren opens the curtains to the morning sun in Harrow’s bedroom and is looking at Pip) 

  * However, after the sparsely lit “kneel” scene the imagery reverses. During the funeral and the interrupted coronation scene Viren almost constantly turns his back to the light, making him the darkest part of the frame.



(Description: a screenshot of the scene in episode 4 where Viren proclaims that he would serve as a Lord Protector of Katolis while being backlit by the torches) 

  * **The Values and the Trolley Problem.** In the span of one season the show manages to introduce the trolley problem twice. The first time Viren poses it for Harrow during the soulfang scene, and it clearly indicates that Viren values the preservation of person’s life (especially if that person is Harrow, but saving 200 royal guards in the process is a definite plus). Which seems consistent with Viren choosing to hide and preserve the dragon egg, as well as echoes the beliefs of the moonshadow elves in regard to taking a life only with purpose and care (similarly, dark magic is relying on the lives of magical creatures, and so every creature’s death is directed towards a purpose). Harrow however changes the problem such that it’s Viren on the lesser evil rail. Viren hesitates, but ultimately seems to accept this as a “solution“ as long as Harrow lives, and essentially says his goodbyes to both Claudia and Soren.



(Description: a trolley problem meme modified to have Runaan as a trolley, soulfang snake as a switch, Harrow as the passerby, one random guard on one rail and Harrow with 200 guards on another) 

  * Second trolley problem is posed by Claudia to Viren as a joke. Viren, however, chooses the power of the dragon egg over the life of his own son, which clashes strongly with previously posed ideal of preserving life at all cost.



(Description: a trolley problem meme modified to have Viren as the passerby, Soren on one rail, and the dragon egg on another)

  * **The Pride.**  In episode 2 Viren berates Harrow for being prideful and not wanting to accept any ‘creative solutions‘. He himself doesn’t seem affected much by it, as even after an awkward retreat at Harrow’s “Get out!“ in front of the royal guards Viren’s mind is occupied with keeping Harrow safe. And Viren puts up basically zero fight at Harrow’s command to go on his knees - sure he’s hurt by Harrow’s words, but IMO he’s hurt not because of being put into vulnerable subservient position, but rather because of Harrow’s words about him being “just a servant” and, thus, exchangable and expendable.
  * **How Bad Can I Be? (Reprise).**  A few of the keywords/conversation topics from the first part of the season come back in second half and sound as a dark corrupted refrain. Viren calls Harrow his brother in the episode 3, and then in episode 4 he claims it was Harrow who called him that. It is Harrow who’s driving the point of Viren being just a servant (and Viren is visibly discomforted by that), while in episode 5 it’s Viren who’s claiming to be just a servant of the Katolis in front of Amaya. These two moments pose a bit of a challenge for the Dark Mage lich theory as they require that the Dark Mage was present for the rather private conversation between Harrow and Viren.
  * **Viren and Callum’s relationship.** That one is largely speculative, as before the “kneel“ scene we have barely any interactions of the two, and the one right after is outright disastrous. The only thing we witness beforehand is Viren being angry/annoyed because Callum overheard about the assassination attempt and pointedly shutting the window. However, there are some indirect pieces which lead me to believe that what relationship existed in between the two could not have been that bad. If anything, Callum seems excited at the prospect of being a Mage (which, admittedly, could be attributed to Claudia). But when Callum is followed by Reyla, his instinct is to run towards Viren’s study, and his plea for help goes “Lord Viren! Claudia!“, rather than just “Claudia!“, so it seems like despite earlier tense window episode Callum feels comfortable enough seeking help from Viren.
  * **The Brodigies.** In the first episode despite only having a direct assignment for Soren, Viren consults both his children about the upcoming assassination attempt, gives them space to be silly together, and only loses his cool when Soren is not careful with being discrete. However after episode 3, before the upcoming coronation he abruptly shuts down Soren’s sillyness to talk with the bird. As well as in episode 6 he separates Soren and Claudia, and makes them keep secrets from each other (which is basically divide and conquer - a way for a malicious entity to avoid detection by the two people closest to Viren). Interestingly, during conversation with Claudia the magic mirror is outright present, while in conversation with Soren the imagery creates the feeling of wrongness by turning Viren upside down. But as @[runecubes](http://runecubes.tumblr.com/post/178369569640) [[pointed out](https://runecubes.tumblr.com/post/178369569640/okayso-weve-got-a-huge-bundle-of-theories-going)] the Brodigies start to realize that something is wrong anyway. Additional sideways speculation with regards to the Brodigies: Unlike Harrow, who explicitly has been presented as a widower, there are no any signs pointing towards Viren ever having a wife / the Brodigies having a mom. That doesn’t necessarily have to mean anything - perhaps it’s just not relevant to the plot of the show, but out of all the characters Soren seems to be the most involved with the fact that Callum is merely a step-prince. And so  ~~as much as I personally am interested in possibility of trans!Viren,~~  by the story logic it seems likely that Soren (and perhaps Claudia) are in for a surprise in regards to being adopted.



(Description: Upside down Viren when talking to Soren about killing the princes)

  * **The Bad Leg.** One thing which I remember struggling with in the first episodes was the question of whether Viren actually needs his staff as a mobility aid, or is it just that I’m not used to this style of animation / animators had a hard time with his walk cycle because of the staff. By the time I reached further episodes that thought kinda slipped my mind, until [@gayingupspace](https://tmblr.co/mbjN8Iq8o8YFwOVMf92GhGQ) reminded me of it. The interesting thing is that on the rewatch Viren’s walk cycle still seemed just a bit off up until I noticed this scene:



(Description: Viren in episode 2 picking up the basket with the soulfang serpent from the floor after being told to get out by Harrow)

  * That animation sequence was rather quick, but notice the pose. Right leg bent in the knee, left leg only slightly bent and put somewhat sideways, most of the weight is put onto the right leg and the staff. Pose is extremely uncomfortable and weird, unless Viren actually has trouble bending his left knee. Through the entirety of the first 2 and a half or so episodes Viren does not part with the staff and is actually visibly putting some weight onto it, including when on the spiral staircases. Interestingly, right after the ‘kneel‘ scene in episode 4 Viren often ditches the staff, or simply picks up and carries it, as well as doesn’t have any particular problems with kneeling (coronation, Sarai’s statue, chatting to Runaan).  good!Viren having a leg trauma adds some more tragic/dark context to the ‘kneel‘ scene, as obeying the order likely was not only a question of hurt feelings, but meant also being in pain. 
  * **The Previously On.**  As [@darth-alinart](https://tmblr.co/mu0Tz0NOaboaG4et4wmUR_w) pointed out to me, each episode apart from episode 1 starts with the recap sequence, and each of those has one of the characters say “Previously on the Dragon Prince“. The list is the following: Callum, Ezran, Viren, Viren, Soren, Claudia, Runaan, Ava. The only character to be featured twice is Viren, and exactly around the recaps separating the good!Viren part of the season from the evil one. Which seems to at the very least imply Viren’s duality, and perhaps hint at the fact that what we percieve as one character is actually two.



**Pure speculation: The Dragon, the High Mage, and the Staff**

  * When talking about the soulfang serpent, Viren says he acquired it during “our last journey into Xadia”, which seems to mean during their attack on the Thunder. Viren is often rather subtle, calling “dark magic” a “creative solution”, but what if that  **operation wasn’t intended as a military**  one from the start?
  * Harrow believes himself responsible for “some of those wrongs” between Xadia and Katolis, but in conversation with Viren Harrow  **attributes “starting this unwinnable war“ to Viren** , while Viren believes that Harrow is being “stubborn and ungrateful“ for refusing to use dark magic.
  * I wonder if “unspeakable dark magic” which Viren used against Thunder was perhaps not a planned operation (as if they believed the war to be unwinnable - why start one?), but rather a  **last ditch attempt to, possibly, save Harrow**. That’s why Viren believes that Harrow should be grateful, and why Harrow thinks that it was dark magic which “got us here”.
  * To answer the previously posed quesiton about how the OG Dark Mage could have possibly known what happened between Viren and Harrow, we need to remember that duriing the journey to Xadia Viren seemingly acquired a lot of powerful magical artifacts and creatures: the mirror, the serpent, the egg, possibly more. What if, perhaps, the  **staff was a recent acquisition**  as well? As Ellis puts it, every mage is meant to have a weird amulet, and it being a staff allows Viren to use it as a mobility aid. And during the first 3 episodes Viren never parts with the staff - including the “kneel” scene. So what if the staff had a soul of it’s previousl owner - the OG Dark Mage latched onto it? And so when whatever happens in Harrow’s bedroom happens, the amount of magical energy released is enough for the the Dark mage to take over.
  * The significance of the  **coins** is that they manage to encapsulate both the weirdness of a mirror - by keeping the reflection of the victim, as well as turning them into exchange tokens and taking away their agency. I believe their purpose, which Runaan might have been aware of, is to  **change the appearance of the mage into one of the victim** , which is especially terrifying for Runaan, as that means using his face and name against Xadia and possibly Reyla.



**Evil Chancellor Traytor syndrome**

I am strongly in favor of the theory that it’s the Dark Mage who’s operating under the guise of Viren, because I believe that the good!Viren is an interesting and complicated character, one with good intentions, but not without his flaws. Simply turning Viren into a flat and stereotypical villain looks to me like a cheap shortcut / dangerous trope, especially given Viren’s implied disability and queer-codedness.

I do however find it rather funny and ironic if Viren is meant to be suffering from the [[Evil Chancellor Traytor](https://feynites.tumblr.com/post/159551366714/minesottafatspoollegend-i-love-in-fantasy-when)] syndrome. Essentially from the point of view of the Dark Mage, who has been accompanying Viren for the most part of the year, Viren is a powerful magic user who is well loved by his family and friends. What he doesn’t really account for is that outside of that friendly social circle Viren is a “mongrel” and a misfit (much like Callum finds himself). Viren is stereotyped into a Grima Wormtongue, which is why Opeli, Amaya and the general public are so unhappy about Viren’s rise to power.

It’s such a predictable trope, that turning it around and in the scope of a fairytale saying that, well, actually, being a queer-coded disabled dark magic user (often overused for villain characters) doesn’t mean anything in regards to person’s morals, and having such assumptions is harmful, would IMO be a pretty revolutionary plot point and a big power move.

**tl;dr**

(Descritpion: Harrison Ford meme, where the “Baby boy. Baby” part corresponds to episode 3 Viren considering self-sacrifice, and “Evil” part corresponds to Viren during Harrow’s funeral in episode 4)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My initial meta post prompted [a nice discussion](http://potterwhos.tumblr.com/post/179638185330/tdp-season-1-thoughts) with potterwhos ([tiredsunrises](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiredsunrises) here on AO3) which I would like to archive in this chapter

> [potterwhos](http://potterwhos.tumblr.com/post/179210182570):
> 
> This is a very interesting theory and such a detailed analysis! I love how much symbolism you found regarding Viren. I totally missed it. Before I didn’t really put a lot of stock in the theory that Viren could be possessed by the OG dark mage. But after reading this wonderful analysis, I can definitely see this being a big possibility. The one thing that I believe that might differ from this interpretation is that I believe it wasn’t just the powerful magic of the Soul Fang that let the Dark Mage overtake Viren. I believe Viren, after Harrow tells him to kneel, is so hurt that he almost lets the Dark Mage in. Perhaps this is like Aragorn whose ancestor was corrupted by the one ring. But, Aragorn valiantly fights the ring’s corrupting influence. Unlike Aragorn, Viren ultimately lets dark magic and the Dark Mage corrupt him. This would make even more sense if my headcanon that the OG Dark Mage is an ancestor of Viren turns out to be correct. So, imo, the Dark Mage’s takeover might not have been so forceful since Viren allowed him in. And in a way the Dark Mage’s takeover symbolizes dark magic itself finally overtaking Viren. So Viren succumbs to his family curse unlike Aragorn. But, like Boromir Viren probably considered Dark Magic as an equalizer. A power that allows humans to compete with Elves. So like Boromir and the one ring, Viren saw only all the good things he could do with Dark Magic. But, the one ring and dark magic corrupt the hearts of men in spite of their intentions.
> 
> I have to say again how wonderful this analysis is. I love that Viren perfectly represents the duality that The Dragon Prince seems so invested in exploring. It seems to me that, as time goes forward, to understand The Dragon Prince viewers must understand Viren, or at least try to. I can’t wait to see how Viren develops from here.
> 
> And your last point about Viren’s possible queer coding really hit home. His connection with Harrow, the lack of any mention of a wife, dark magic being treated as taboo, and his concern with his physical appearance made me think he was queer coded. As I was watching TDP, I told my sister that perhaps Viren could become a fully subverted example of the queer villain trope. That in this season they would present the queer villain without much subversion, but then in future seasons they would turn that on its head and maybe give the queer villain a redemption arc that doesn’t require heterosexuality being reinstated as the only true/good path. She’s more skeptical than I am since, historically, children’s media and adult media too have been so uncreative in their use of the queer villain trope. But this analysis gives me even more hope.

Hi! I’m glad you enjoyed my analysis c:

Abt succumbing to the DarMage: I agree that this is a possibility - we really don’t know enough about what happened in that missing scene to judge. And even post-ep3 Viren has his moments (like conversation with Amaya), so it can be interpreted in the key that true!Viren is still in there somewhere.

But on the other hand (story logic here) these sort of narratives about succumbing to the Dark Side (Boromir, Anakin Skywalker) are made satisfying by their steadiness. The viewer is given the motives, sees every move, and is able to ache for every decision made. To quote GoT “[Chaos is a ladder](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FFG3H9E-B464&t=ZDk0YjhlNGFjMWQ2OTI5MGQ3NTM5MzA0ZjFmZGI2NTE4YmMyYWIzZCx2SFlmRUR6Mw%3D%3D&p=&m=0)”. And there should definitely be foreshadowing, and in case of Viren we aren’t given much in that regard, apart from his appreciation for dark magic (which, holy shit, is understandable? it’s basically the only magic humans can do sustainably, and like, if i could firebend by breeding and crushing some arthropods, i soooo would) and stereotypical villain package of goth aesthetic + queercoding + disability. And yet he’s patient and lucid for whole 2.5 episodes, despite an extremely anxious/stressful situation they are all in, and then goes on a cruelty rampage, insulting Callum, taking his voice, starving Runaan, and ordering Soren to kill the princes. Can it be pride that made him snap? I suppose, but then he isn’t bothered by Harrow’s “Get out!“ at all, and is literally berating him for pride. If anything Viren strikes me as more of a “[It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikiquote.org%2Fwiki%2FGrace_Hopper&t=OTQ2YTk2ZmI3ZjY4ZTNhYzQ5OGMyZTZjMmIwZTViNzIyYjA1ODM3Yyx2SFlmRUR6Mw%3D%3D&p=&m=0)“ (-Grace Hopper) person. As in, get job done, deal with emotional fallout later after the crisis is dealt with. Now, sure, that backfires, but that’s the whole point of storyline duality, where adults are locked in their rigid roles by the expectations of the world, children can and will do better. Or as Harrow put it, setting the tone for seemingly the whole series: “The child is freer than a king“.

I do very much hope for trope subversion, and I definitely understand your sister’s doubts. But I think that if I were to entrust anyone to pull it off, that would be the people who made “Avatar: the Last Airbender”.

> [potterwhos](http://potterwhos.tumblr.com/post/179265481495):
> 
> Thank you so much for the reply! I do think true!Viren is still there but he definitely doesn’t have full reigns. So Viren’s extreme change in character and his sudden cruelty, imo, could definitely be purely the Dark Mage’s doing. The Dark Mage is the one responsible for all the strange and cruel things “Viren” does post bedroom scene.
> 
> And I don’t believe its pride that causes Viren to succumb, or at least not unreasonable pride. As you say, it is completely understandable that Viren is attracted to Dark Magic because it is the only way for humans to have something that is traditionally only for elves. Through dark magic humans are equals to their traditional “betters” and that is something that, imo, attracts Viren. We also know that Viren values Harrow’s friendship a lot. And does take “pride” in it as evidenced by the portrait of him and Harrow having a prized place in his rooms. He sees himself as Harrow’s brother, which connotes some level of equality.
> 
> I agree, Viren does not let pride get in the way of doing what he thinks is needed. He is patient and level headed. As you say, he deals with emotional fallout after he’s gone through with his plans. But there is a difference between someone who can put pride aside to get a job done and someone completely without pride whatsoever. I think Viren is the former more than the latter. Aside from Viren’s viewing himself as Harrow’s brother (which for the record is totally justified seeing as they’ve known each other since childhood) Viren is also someone who is shown, perhaps unintentionally, to value his life over the lives of guards when he firsts proposes the soul fang strategy. Of course, a head mage is probably more valuable to the kingdom than one guard but that wasn’t really how that scene was framed. Viren’s willingness to offer the lives of the guards (without their consent) before his own is framed as wrong.
> 
> Viren is also shown to have kept the egg and mirror and kept both a secret from the King. No doubt, he keeps them as a contingency measure against the elves, and he keeps it a secret because Harrow would probably not approve. But, it could easily be interpreted that Viren, in his need to protect the kingdom and Harrow, is also attracted to the power the egg & mirror could have. Just like he’s attracted to Dark Magic’s power. Viren might not hunger for power for power’s sake. He has understandable, relatable, and even noble reasons to seek out power. But seeking out power, even for good reasons, is often a path of downfall.
> 
> Viren, imo, isn’t prideful in an arrogant/superfluous way. He seems to me as someone grasping to be valuable and equal. He wants to protect his world and the people he loves. And he believes he knows how best to do this. I believe Viren, for all his level headedness and patience, is someone who loathes powerlessness. And I can see how Harrow’s words could have stripped Viren of the power he thought he had. Viren, even with his ask for forgiveness rather than permission ways still seems to need/want Harrow’s approval for his soul fang plan. For someone who works with Dark Magic to achieve a semblance of equality with Elves, someone who saw himself as an equal (in love, in respect and in value) to Harrow, to be called a servant and to have their ideas dismissed purely for having a lower social status than a king, would, imo make them feel powerless. Add to that, as you say, the stereotypes Viren has been placed in (the Grima Wormtoung archetype) and the taboo and shame placed on his primary source of power and large part of his identity by others (and by Harrow increasingly as well), Viren is even more trapped. A dark voice offering a chance to have that lost power restored might be more welcoming at that moment.
> 
> I would argue that we do know quite a lot about Viren’s motives even by the end of only 2.5 episodes. But, unlike Boromir and Anakin, Viren’s downfall will be told as a denouement, in flashback. There is still so much we need to know about Harrow and Viren. So, the focus of Viren will not be in the slow, agonizing fall into darkness. But rather an understanding of his fall told via denouement and a renewed focus on his journey back into the light away from the Dark Mage’s control (and preferably he doesn’t die). Perhaps his children and their relative freedom will help. Perhaps it will be his love for Harrow, or both.
> 
> In the end, I see things this ways because of my interpretations and my preferences. For me, the most interesting duality is duality found in an individual. And not in the sense that one body has two beings existing within it. But rather that one person can be two things at once. They can be self-sacrificing but also lean heavily on self-preservation. They can be logical but deeply affected by emotions. They can be people who want power to protect and care for others but, at the same time, want power just to not feel powerless. They can be capable of selfless goodness but still succumb to darkness in their most vulnerable states. I think your interpretation of Viren does have this kind of duality, but it’s just my preference that true!Viren’s duality is even more highlighted. In my mind, the Dark Mage is less a foreign entity using Viren’s body as a mere host, but more an exaggerated metaphor for the worse sides of Viren. But, i agree we know so little of what went down that all interpretations are possible. And thank you again for discussing Viren with me and opening my eyes to all the symbols and storytelling elements of TDP!

Hello again! Sorry for rather late reply, I really liked the points you made (especially with regards to  **equality** and  **powerlessness** \- it is a strong motivator - interestingly present in both Boromir and Anakin’s stories), and wanted respond to it thoughtfully and update with some of the more recent lore. Under cut cause this post is already a dashboard stretcher.

First, I would like clarify on my previous answer: while I do feel like pacing for a  **corruption/seduction narrative**  is off, it is absolutely a valid option, which can be made compelling and satisfying by later writing. So just, thank you for pointing it out. As well as, while traditionally fall to dark side is done as slow and agonizing,  **a redemption arc**  (see, Zuko) is in fact often rooted in flashbacks.  ~~so hopefully you’re right and that’s what writers are going for~~

**On Dark Magic corruption.**  There is a recent [[Hypable interview](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hypable.com%2Fdragon-prince-season-2-interview-nycc%2F&t=YzAxNWNmMGEyMWFhYmUwNjMwNmM4YzUzNjNhZTNmN2I0NTZiNzUzMyx2SFlmRUR6Mw%3D%3D&b=t%3AHcHHbSYAheTI-Y53Dotipw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fartaline.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F179396314428%2Ftdp-season-1-thoughts&m=1)] where creators talk in a bit more detail about how magic and, in particular, dark magic work. Essentially, key difference is that primal magic when used by a mage is focused and redirected, while in dark incantations it’s actually consumed, which leaves a residue within a mage, which tends to accumulate over time, turning said mage into an eldritch horror, such as dark!Viren we see in the end of the season. Thus Viren’s cosmetic butterflies, which allow to keep up the glamor, at least until dark magic is used again.

**On Dark Magic itself.** Despite the dark imagery and corruption, especially during the intro, show does not equate dark magic to evil. Claudia instantly wants to protect Callum and Ezran from Reyla. Viren’s singular focus in first episodes is keeping Harrow safe. And the Brodigies have the whole scene in the end of the first season dedicated to showing us that as Viren puts it is “it(dark magic)’s  clever, it’s brilliant, it’s practical“. Yes, it it does require death of a magical creature, but show doesn’t exactly shy away from young protagonists killing various beasts (leech monster), including magical ones (river serpent), on their journey to Xadia.  And sure,  dark magic can be used for evil purposes but that’s true for a lot of things. Similarly moon magic in this season is used for protection and illusion, but also murder. So while the show establishes a much more conflicted attitude towards dark magic, the  morality of it is definitely not black and white. 

**On guards’ life.**  I find the throne room scene really interesting, cause ultimately Viren is right - we are explicitly showed in the scene of Callum’s escape that many guards die during the attack, as well as, allegedly, Harrow. And if they did go ahead with Viren’s soul swap plan, then they could have minimized losses among the guards. Now, sure, for guards in the throne room proposition is extremely uncomfortable as it calls for one of them to agree to die (instead of only a probability of death during a fight against a powerful foe), but ultimately that could have saved more lives. And yet after the ‘kneel’ scene Viren doesn’t try to remove the guards, which kinda nullifies the whole soulfang proposal. If anything, instead of choosing one branch of trolley problem, this version of Viren goes for [[multi-track drifting](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fknowyourmeme.com%2Fmemes%2Fmulti-track-drifting&t=ZjEzNWRjNDgwZThjOGVjM2QzOGJlNjE0NjhkMjUyY2FkYjViMjBjZCx2SFlmRUR6Mw%3D%3D&b=t%3AHcHHbSYAheTI-Y53Dotipw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fartaline.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F179396314428%2Ftdp-season-1-thoughts&m=1)]. Another interesting visual storytelling thing I just noticed is that there are  **dead guards on the balcony**. Which doesn’t really make much sense - the elves are coming from the corridor, clearly balcony guards should have ran towards the fight inside of the room? And they would have heard the fight breaking out in the corridor and should have joined the fight, but despite the noise and Callum’s calls nobody from the inside answers. Which makes me wonder if dark!Viren is responsible for the deaths of the balcony/room guards.

**On soulswap with Viren.**  Beyond Viren not being comfortable with the swap due to own mortality, there are imo other relevant considerations. First, being the king means being a military commander, and under assumption that the Viren’s bad leg is canon, swapping Harrow into Viren’s body in the wake of upcoming war is a recipe for disaster. Second, given how much opposition there is to Viren becoming Lord Protector, from both clergy (?, represented by Opeli) and military (represented by Amaya), I think it’s reasonable to assume Viren is not exactly loved by the masses (which reminds me a lot of Haggar being constantly considered a bad influence on Zarkon among Galra military). Additionally, Viren requires constant glamor due to dark magic corruption. All these together were bound to complicate Harrow’s continuing rule, were they to swap. On another hand for the Dark Mage Viren is basically a perfect host, being a mage, king’s old friend, and keeping the staff close at all times.

**On Viren’s character.**  I get what you are saying in regards to my interpretation of Viren’s duality. I agree that, perhaps, I’m not really pushing it far enough - after all I am myself a big fan of narratives where circumstances push people to their extremes (Wicked, Twisted, Les Mis, etc - thus [[the animatic](https://artaline.tumblr.com/post/179278576208/i-dont-think-that-this-is-whats-happening-with)]) and Viren arc so far could easily qualify. I definitely do not mean to paint true!Viren as a perfect cinnamon roll - he is a beautifully flawed character and I would love to see that explored. But as I pointed out above when talking about Evil Chancellor Traytor syndrome, I wonder if it’s meant to be more of a meta narrative about prejudices and purity culture. As we’ve already established there are a lot of stereotypical fairytale villan traits about Viren. And the general attitude in fandom so far seems that of gently bullying people out of expressing any interest in the character, despite general sentiment that 1-3eps and 4-9eps Viren are “almost like two different people”. And so it seems to me like an extremely curious possibility, if writers, perhaps, made these choices deliberately, with the goal to explore what makes us so inclined to shy away from otherness (despite relating to it just couple of episoded before) at the very first hint of it being problematic.

> [potterwhos](http://potterwhos.tumblr.com/post/179638185330):
> 
> Aaahh!! Thank you so much for your response!! I love everything you said here! I was a bit worried my previous reply was too long (and I’m on mobile so I didn’t include a read more, I feel bad for my followers 😅). I was hoping I didn’t come off as too contrary. I so appreciate your well thought out analysis!
> 
> You’ve made so many great points. Especially about Viren’s reluctance to switch his body with Harrows. And about dark magic, despite the grim optics, is not very different from moon magic in how it can be used for good and bad. And yeah the kids did kill magical creatures (it was in self defense, but on the other hand they were trespassing on it’s home, so even “natural” magic users can exist in opposition to nature).
> 
> And on Viren’s character, I can totally see Viren’s character arc being a meta on prejudice and purity culture (and a meta on preconceived notions of fantasy conventions like the untrustworthy councilor). I remember going onto the Dragon Prince tag the day it was released and there was already so much black and white rhetoric about “Lord Virgin”. Most of it was funny but some of it confused me. I get not liking a character, but do we really need to shame Viren fans. Honestly, I’ve seen less than gentle bullying of Viren fans (the way the artist who draws spicy Viren is treated on this site is honestly like Mean Girls level). I totally understand people who don’t like Viren and don’t trust him. But, fiction is about opening up ones imagination, so I completely understand and relate to viewers who are intrigued and sympathetic towards Viren too. A meta counter of the othering of characters deemed “problematic” and “impure” could be what the writers are going for. Certainly, their treatment of Viren in their social media might suggest this too. That would be really interesting!
> 
> Ultimately, I would still like it if Viren “fell” (perhaps due to dark magic’s corrosive effects) before he was possessed. I’m like you, I really appreciate those kinds of narratives. And I totally don’t think you see Viren as a cinnamon roll. But, if Viren didn’t fall so much as was suddenly taken over, I’ve warmed up to that possibility because of your analysis. And if the writers decide to take the riskier route, I too want them to build up to redemption.
> 
> Thank you again for your response!! I’m 100% convinced that real!Viren is being possessed by the dark mage now. I’m so glad we can discuss Viren. If anything, this proves that Viren is a Pandora’s box of possibilities worthy of nuanced discussion. It doesn’t sadden me that people have deemed Viren as problematic and “trash”, because Viren has done some dark things (Dark!Viren anyway). But it does sadden me that because of this, they do their best to shut down any serious discussion and analysis of Viren. They even do this with the TDP Twitter account. They just shut it down like discussing Viren in even a slightly sympathetic way is some kind of crime that actually hurts people. Sometimes I think it’s all just ironic fun; hating the villain can be fun after all. But, other times I think they’re serious. Attitudes like that in a fandom can shut down meaningful/nuanced meta/analysis and that sucks cuz analysis is my favorite part of fandoms.


End file.
